She was fascinating the way her body flowed with the water as if she were part of it. Each graceful stroke of her soft arms propelled her along the surface, in harmony with the nature that surrounded her as well as the fiery sunrise catching on her wet skin. Then she disappeared under the surface, sliding beneath the water as her blond hair followed, ebbing away slowly until it became one with the water.
Her head broke the surface, leading her body up into the sweet air of the new day as the flames of the sunrise glistened in her wet hair. One arm extended seductively as she turned on her back, exposing the delicate curves of her breasts to the burning light. Each taut nipple stood proudly over the water, guarding the gentle swell of her belly and the soft tangle of golden curls below it.
The minute she had stepped into the murky water, he'd had the impression he was seeing a goddess. Her golden skin glimmering in the faint light of the awakening day had been like an apparition. With a toss of her wheat-colored hair she had taken possession of his mind, leaving no room for the anger he had been harboring.
The secretive smile on her face alone was enough to remind him that he was a man. With all that she'd been through over the past two days, he couldn't imagine how she could find enough pleasure to create that smile. He wished he'd been the one to make her lips curve so deliciously, to make her feel even a moment of joy. As it was, he was held spellbound by the magic of her expression, quickening the pace of his heart.
A painful swelling prodded against the unforgiving zipper of his jeans as he watched her breasts rise and fall with each breath. His hands itched to touch her, to grab her hips so that he could impale her, take possession of her flesh and her being.
The throbbing in his groin became more insistent when she suddenly rolled back over and glided toward the edge of the pond. She stood slowly, the surface of the water settling around her hips when she reached the log where she had earlier placed the items she'd been carrying. As she reached for one of the items that turned out to be a bar of soap, he could only watch in fascination as she worked up a lather to run over her shimmering flesh.
He crawled under the brush, working his way toward her in virtual silence as she continued to bathe. He stopped only ten feet from where she stood with her back to the bank. Her back seemed to stiffen slightly as she set the soap down on the log before ducking into the water and swimming toward the middle, leaving a trail of foamy bubbles in her wake.
She stopped several yards out, turning to face the bank, standing straight with the water coming to her shoulders. "
Come out of there,
" she barked, looking directly at his hiding spot.
Niko froze, not wanting the spell to be broken or to be caught spying on his wife. Then he watched in amazement as one of her hands broke slowly to the surface, a pistol clutched there and trained on him. With a low whistle, he cautiously raised his head, smiling at the deadly beauty in the water.
"No wonder you can't break the case," Camille flared, "if that's what you call 'covert activity.'
Jesus Christ
. Why are you skulking around in the bushes, peeping at me? Can't a girl get some fucking privacy?"
The grin on his face told the story well. He'd been enjoying the erotic show she'd been putting on, enjoying it more than even
he
realized. "Do you always take a bath with a gun?"
"Smart ass," she snorted as she lowered the gun. Watching as he kicked off his shoes and reached for the belt at his waist, she added, "What do you think you're doing?"
"I thought I'd join you. How's the water?"
"Hey, who invited you? Get out of here."
"Don't test me,
agapi mou
. I'm pissed as hell that you wandered off," he growled softly as he finished peeling off his clothing. "You need to set your happy ass down and think about this. It's no party. You could've gotten yourself killed pulling a stunt like that."
She watched in frustration as he waded into the water, noting the beauty of his naked physique as he set his own gun on the log next to her shampoo and soap. "I told you not to call me that. You have no right."
His back stiffened at her words, his face turning angry -- but only briefly. That irritatingly easy smile returned, flashing at her from across the water. She wanted to hurl the cold steel, still gripped in her fingers, at him.
"Of course," he said smoothly as he picked up the small bottle of shampoo. "I should know better than to call my wife by names of adoration. How foolish of me."
He walked through the water, moving toward her, his eyes glittering with amusement. Stopping just inches from her, he raised his empty hand, cupping her shoulder, running the palm down her arm. His fingers felt the muscles under her skin tense, drawing tight as a shiver ambled through her body.
His hand settled over the unyielding hardness of the gun, still gripped in her hand under the water. "You gonna use that on me, Baby?" "I might," she offered suggestively, her grip tightening under his hand.
He chuckled, the warm, rich sound rumbling deep in his chest and tumbling from his lips. Still holding her hand, cocking his eyebrow, he whispered, "I believe you would."
He released the gun and the hand that held it, running the pads of his fingers up her arm, over the curve of her shoulder to her nape. The skin under his touch drew taut, a reaction he remembered so well from that life they had before. Stepping around her, sliding his palm under her drenched hair, he positioned himself behind her -- close enough that she could feel his heat, but not pressing his body against hers.
"What are you doing, Niko?" She tried to sound stern but the question came out sounding like an invitation.
His lips brushed against the curve of her neck, causing the water around her to flow in tiny ripples as she shuddered. "I'm going to wash your hair, my Camille," he breathed against the shell of her ear. His touch left her briefly, opening the bottle and pouring a liberal measure into his palm. "Hold this for me."
Camille felt the cool bottle, as it slid over her shoulder to rest just above her breast, felt the heat of the flesh that held it to her. She reached up, shaking, to take it from him, letting her arm drop back into the water once she had it. His lips nuzzled her ear, tasting the water on her skin, sending another quiver dancing through her.
His hands cupped the top of her head, his fingers diving into the thick, wet tresses, massaging her scalp. He stopped only long enough to pull the ends out of the water and work them into the lather on her head. A soft moan escaped her lips as she leaned into him, feeling the muscles of his chest against her shoulder blades.
His movements were seductive, deliberate, designed to entice her senses, each stroke of his fingers sending delicious sensations through her. He pressed himself against her, pulling her head back onto his shoulder as his fingers continued to work. She found herself forced to concentrate that she wouldn't drop the gun in her hand and lose it in the soft bed of the pond.
The sensations he created were made of smoke and dreams, weaving in and around her, consuming her mind, dominating her body. She sagged against him, moaning softly when his fingers left her scalp to stroke down the sides of her neck, splaying over her collarbone and further. He wove a seductive spell that would soon have her whimpering like a newborn kitten if she didn't get hold of herself.
Memories of the way he'd once played her body like a maestro, strumming all the right nerves came back. He'd always had the ability to rob her of her senses, send her to unbelievable heights of pleasure. That was before -- before the pain of loss and loneliness after he went off on his great adventure. He'd abandoned her without a word, left her to her struggle for her own survival. Now, he was back expecting her to forget the commitments she'd made, the fight she'd endured to rebuild her life without him. And she was
